Grain-door for freight-cars



(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. PATTERSON AND JOHN R. LAWVRENOE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

GRAIN-DOOR FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,208, dated May 14,1889.

Application filed October 19, 1888. Serial No. 288,549- (No model.)

f all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN S. PATTERSON and J OHN R. LAWRENCE, citizensof the United States, and residents of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain. new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Doors for Freight-Cars, of

. which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to construct a grain-door that may bereadily attached to the freight-cars now in common use without employingattachments that would interfere in loading ordinary freight when thegrain-door is not used, or that might be liable to be broken or injured,or be in the way when the car is used for transporting ordinary freight.

Our improved door is adapted to be swung up and retained under the roofof the ear, leaving no projecting attachments upon either the floor oruprights and to be readily thrown down and securely locked in place, thedoor being made in sections, so that the car may be used fortransporting either heavy or light grain.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and will then be particularly referred to andpointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similarreference-letters wherever they occur throughout the various views,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a freight-car provided with ourimprovements. The ordinary door is shown open and the grain-door closedand locked for the reception of grain. Fig. 2 is a vertical transversesection taken through line a: oof Fig. 1. The position in which thegrain-door is thrown for ordinary freight purposes is shown in dottedline. Fig. 3 represents in both side and edge elevation the camlever forlocking the door in its closed position. Fig.4 is an enlarged detailview of the devices shown in the upper left-hand corner of Fig. 2.

The car A and sliding door B are of ordinary construction, and need notbe specifically described.

A represents two of the upright timbers of the car, forming the sidestiles of the doorway, against which our improved door closes from theinside. The lower or main section,

0, of the door is hung upon a metal yoke, D, by metal l0op-plates cl.The yoke is hung in loops D, which are secured to the upper frametimbers, A of the car. The upper ends of the yokeD are bent toward eachother, and the loops D are secured over these inward bends. The ends ofthe yoke, inside of the'loops D, are again bent at right angles towardthe center of the car-body when the yoke is in its vertical position,for the purpose of preventing end play in the loops, and also to furnishsupports for the top edge of the upper section, E, of the door when thelower section is closed. The upper edge of the lower door, 0, and thelower edge of the upper door, E, are matched to fit into each other, themeeting edges being metal cased, if desired, for strength anddurability. The upper section, E, which is only used when light grain-asoats, for instaneeis to be shipped, is hung upon the yoke D by links 6,through which the ends of the yoke D pass, the links being hinged inlug-plates e, which are secured upon the inside of the door E, near theupper edge. WVhen the upper section alone is thrown up to the positionshown by dotted lines, Fig. 2, its lower edge rests upon theinwardly-projecting ends d of the yoke D. A hook, 6 secured in theroof-timber a takes under the lower edge and retains the section in theupper position.

The lower door-section, O, has secured upon it, near its outer edges,two slotted cam-levers, F, the cam ends of which are to enter slottedplates f, which are let into the upright stiles A. The levers arebeveled upon their edges, as seen at f in the edge view of Fig. 3, forthe purpose of drawing the edges of the door firmly against the insidesof the stiles A as the levers are turned down. The cam ends of thelevers, bearing against the upper walls of the slotted plates f, holdthe door firmly down, thus preventing its jarring loose and wastinggrain when the car is in motion. The

levers F are held to the door by stud-pins passing through slots in thelever, so that when the lovers are thrown up the heavier ends will dropdown and prevent locking when the door is thrown up.

The door-sections are provided with metal hand-holes g, for conveniencein sliding them up upon the yoke. To throw the sections up so that thecar may be used as an ordinary freight-car, the upper section is firstthrown up and secured, as above described. Then the section C is pushedup on the yoke I) to its upper limit, after which it and the yoke D areturned up against the root of the car, and the lower bar of the yokecaught upon the hook D as seen in dotted line, Fig. 2.

By arranging the yoke so that its lower bar catches upon the hook I)there is no lia bility of the hook becoming disengaged. N0 lockingdevice is required to hold the yoke and hook engaged.

\Vhat we claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, substantially as specified, of the ear-body, theyoke D, suspended therefrom, the door the loops coupling it to the yoke,and the hook for catching over the lower bar of said yoke and retainingthe door and yoke in the upper position.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbe't'ore set forth, of thetwo door-sections, a swinging yoke suspended in the upper tinibers ofthe car-body for carrying the same, the links connecting the uppersection to the yoke,whereby it is movable independently of the lowersection, hooks hung from the carroot to catch over the lower bar of saidyoke and sustain the sections in the upper position, locking-leverspivoted on the lower doorsection, and catches in. the posts to receivethe locking ends of the levers, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination ot the car-body, the swinging door carrier D, havingits upper ends bent, as shown, the loops 1), by which the yoke is hingedto the 1.'oot'-timl.)er ot' the car, the door 0 and loops coupling it tothe swinging frame, the lovers 1 pivoted upon the door and having theirlocking ends beveled and cam-shaped, as shown, and the locking-plates f,recessed in the upright doorstiles, substantially as specified.

4:. In a grain-door composed of two sections hung upon. a swingin yoke,the combinatiiiin of: the upper section, E, the swinging links couplingthe same upon the swinging yoke, whereby the said upper section isadapted to be pushed up and. swung against the roof of the carindependent of the lower section, the inwardly-bent ends of the yoke forsustaining the lower edge of the door in its upper position, and thehooks pivoted upon the rooftinlber for sustaining the opposite edge,substantially as specified.

JOHN S. IIA'IYLERSON. JOHN R. lh UVRFINOE. Witnesses:

Gee. .I'. Moi-ruin, l RANK L. M i; in Am no.

